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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Adel's July Recipe - A Healthy and Cool Treat

by Adel Aschenbrener and Amy Robinson

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Adel says:
"During the summer I find that I don't have much of an appetite for big, heavy, hot meals or a need to heat up my kitchen. Since I don't have an outdoor grill, this means finding other ways to incorporate healthy, fast protein into my diet. This classic, lemony hummus fits the bill perfectly. It's fast, easy, and won't cause you to break a sweat. Slather it on pita and top with cool slices of cucumber and tomato and some crumbled feta cheese and you have a refreshing summer meal or snack in seconds."

Adel's Hummus

1 15oz. can of garbanzo beans (I like Trader Joe's organic)
2 medium sized lemons
2 large cloves of garlic
1/4 cup greek style yogurt
2 tablespoons tahini
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste
paprika for garnish

Drain the garbanzo beans, reserving a few tablespoons of liquid. Rub the outer skins off the beans and discard (I dip my hands in a bowl of water to aid in this process). This step isn't absolutely necessary and to be honest it removes some of the fiber, but it also ensures a beautifully smooth puree, so you make the call. Sometimes I skin only half the beans to save time and retain some of the nutritional benefits.

Place the garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add beans, yogurt, tahini, and cumin, and the juice of one lemon and puree, scraping the bowl down often. Drizzle olive oil in while machine is running and puree, scraping as necessary, until smooth. This can take a few minutes. If the puree is still thicker than your liking, add more olive oil (use reserved canning liquid or more yogurt for a lower fat version) until desired consistency is achieved. Season to taste with the juice of the remaining lemon and salt. If serving this as a dip or part of an appetizer assortment, I like to drizzle a little more olive oil over the surface and add a sprinkling of paprika for color. For variety, try adding some jalapeno, a roasted pepper, or a handful of cilantro to the recipe.

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